Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Another disappointing ASCS show on yet another rubber down race track. Mason City motor speedway had the stands packed to capacity, kudos to the promoter. Unfortunately to watch a rubber down show of follow the leader. Does track prep and or the decision to prep or not to prep fall solely on the track owner ? Or is it a combined decision of the owner and in this case the ASCS ? I understand it was a Sunday night show, but they staged for the main just after 9:00. I know track prep is a science and if a track is going to take rubber it is what it is, but at least try something to give the drivers a chance to do what they do and put on a good show for the fans. This seems to be a recurring trend with the ASCS this year.

I know with the IRA, track prep falls on the track owners or promoters shoulders. I have 

been told preping a track for sprint cars is different than for stock cars for side by side racing

What causes the track to rubber down?  What should be done differently to keep it from rubbering down?  I assume the type of track, clay, balck dirt, etc, affect this also?

Several weeks ago at Oshweken the track was very slick.  What did they do to end up with that surface?

Humidity.  High temperature.  Temperature after the sun goes down.  Low termperature.  Wind speed.  Wind direction.  Weekly rainfall.  Monthly rainfall.  # of cars.  # of support class cars.  Type of cars.  Type of support class cars.   Surface type.  

Those in charge of track prep can and do take notes I'm sure.  But with all of those variables, hitting days that have the same exact variables to compare notes must be a monumental task. And, let's say you do have notes on a day almost exactly the same as the day you are prepping for.  What if the track rubbered down that night?  What do you change?  What if that doesn't work?  What do you do next time?  Sad thing is, the following week the high temp could be 15 degrees cooler, there was an inch more rain the night before and the wind is coming from the opposite direction 10 mph faster.  Where do you start?  

I find track prep in general has been better than 20 years ago---at least at the tracks I have attended.  Technology has no doubt made a big difference as far as predicting conditions and tracking prep.  20-25 years ago it seemed like every race ended in a rubber down surface.  Now, I don't see it nearly as much.  

Easy fix.  Get rid of that wing on top.

In many cases tracks can 'seal off' when the races start early (sun still hitting the track surface), and it forms a 'crust' that can no longer connect to the moisture trapped below it.

A lot of times a track can till the surface, sprinkle it with water then repack and it will reconnect the moisture below to the surface.

From a timing standpoint, if it can be done after hot laps, and if the sun is low or setting, that can fix the problem before it starts most of the time. And it really doesn't take that long to do. (And anyone who has attended the IMCA SuperNationals at Boone has seen it done 6 times a night to help keep the track fresh and racy.)

There's a really good dirt track tiller built in Illinois by Lilly (sp). LoneStar Speedway has two of them.

Last night the support classes did have something to do with it. Can't really complain about it if the track is worked and it still takes rubber. But to do nothing at all is even more disapointing.

The way things are going the ASCS National tour might need to be change to the ASCS Rubber Down tour. Its been that bad, out of the last dozen races at least 8 have been rubber down to the point it made for boring racing. But none took rubber as fast as it did last night.

They have wingless shows if that is what you prefer.   ????

I would be very upset if they advertised winged sprint cars and I showed up and they had no wings.  Just saying

Rubber Down has been happening for 20+ years.   Seems that the tracks that run sprints weekly don't have the rubberd-down issue as much as that tracks that have a "special" once in a blue moon or once a decade.

Maybe it's time for the sanctioning bodies to take a closer look at the tires.  For whatever reason, once the "competion" of the tire companies went away, rubber down tracks seemed to become more prevelant.

Track prep is still a mystery to me, & seems like THE most inportant factor in making an enjoyable race. 

I wish one of the sprint car mags would publish an article on it. I recall a while back one of them posted an article on Kokomo's crew, but I'm interested in more "how to" stuff than a tribute to the experts

If anyone knows of a good article & wants to post it, I'm sure lots of us would appreciate it.

Thanks, good interview. Knoxville & Kokomo are the 2 tracks that always seem to get it right, from what I've seen. Seems like Iowa is lucky to have the right kind of dirt. I still curious about general concepts of track prep that apply everywhere

Move the race to Dubuque Speedway next year.

Track pep will never be an exact science but the drivers seem to ovrewhelmingly prefer a smooth slick track. Meanwhile most fans seem to prefer a tacky track with a big cushion.

A

Idiot?  Nice response ass hole.  It's a fact that non-wing sprints don't contribute near as much as wing cars to a rubber down track.  Or have you never made the comparison, idiot!

Agreed on your rubber down call and on calling out the rude guy.  Why is everybody so butt hurt and rude on message boards when what people say doesn't fit EXACTLY in their little mental box?   Let's take a breath and realize every one or two sentence repsonse can't cover every nuance of the topic or what the person is trying to get across.  

Baylands, that's a secret many haven't yet firgured out. The race day early morning watering still has me shaking my head. People should go talk to a farmer and ask him what his biggest challenge is, SOIL. Cars are so different than the cars of years past, that alone makes prepping today's surface a challenge. To have passing today in dirt racing the ideal surface would be a bottom groove black and slick thru the middle up to the cushion. Because by the end of a 40 lap winged race the middle of the track is pretty much going to be gone and if you lose that bottom it's going to turn into a cushion race.

I just fall into the catagory of all the others that don't agree with your unfounded, unresearched,

Ill-conceived and ignorant opinions.  Therefore, I am a part of the majority of idiots (your words) that believe you are just a stupid bully, acting out the role of being a tough sum-bitch.

Not condoning your idiot comment..................however, laughed my ass off at "joint pain and fatigue?  Must be the wings!"

I get what you're saying.  Maybe a little harsh but I get what you're saying.  

This, from a fan in the stands that has never driven a sprint car or any other racecar and has never been a crew chief or any other position related to the technical aspects of a sprint car.  Like I stated before, just a bully who doesn't understand fundamental reasoning and refuses to learn from those that do.  Have a nice "know it all day"